The Gate to Hell
by BrisbaneGirl
Summary: The Roughnecks are preparing for the final showdown, but first they must retake HQ and City Hall in Oahu. Will they all make it through in one piece?
1. Chapter 1

_**The Gate to Hell**_

**Summary: The roughnecks are preparing for the final showdown, but first they must retake HQ and City Hall in Oahu. Will they all make it through in one piece? **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters etc. They all belong to Columbia Tristar and Sony etc. I only borrowed them to write this story.**

_We were lucky; none of us would deny that. We have survived the onslaught in Hawaii when many other squads had not. Nobody would admit it, but we appreciated Zim joining us. Rico needed someone to lead him lead us. Despite it all, we were still together, even without Razak. When Carl told Dizzy and Rico that the worst was yet to come, we found it difficult to believe. We struggled to comprehend that state of the war now. Two years ago we were winning and now, earth was in serious danger of being destroyed. Nothing could be worse than watching Earth fall apart and being unable to defend the growing tide of death and destruction. Rico had proved himself a leader in Hawaii and the Roughnecks had total faith in him. It was a pity he did not have the same faith in himself._

_Private R. Higgins: Fednet Reporter_

The Valley Forge was awash with activity. Squads were still being retrieved from Earth and arriving is various states from relatively unharmed and others were virtually annihilated. SICON was counting the cost of yet another failure. The military casualty list was off the charts, there was no exact number. Troopers fought and died for seemingly nothing, SICON and Intel were getting nowhere.

Just one day into the return to the Valley Forge. The roughnecks were back in their old squad room, which was crowded to say the least. Neither Rico nor Zim had been seen since shortly after their arrival. Dizzy reported Rico as going somewhere with Carl but she had not seen Zim. She too had soon vanished without much of an explanation. The others were in and out at irregular intervals Higgins walked into the room from the Fednet servers as they were reacquainting themselves with their bunks.

"That ones mine, Brutto. Touch it and regret it."

Doc threw his rucksack across the room onto a bunk before Max could land his stuff on it. Max threw him a disgruntled look before shrugging and claiming a top bunk above T'phai's extended one. Higgins watched quietly. He had not missed the ship or its bunks. As he looked around he found himself thinking Razak would stride in and start barking orders at them. He shook his head and moved to his own bunk below Carl.

Rico and Carl were wondering aimlessly around the ships decks. They really had no idea where they were going but went anyway. They passed the hospital, which they swiftly avoided. The injuries were many as Carl has reported.

"You can't be serious buddy. It can't get worse than this. Look at them. Don't tell me there is gonna be more" Rico prodded his friend, hoping for the straight answer he had been denied for the last hour and a half.

Carl turned to look out the window. Earth was below them, it didn't look different from orbit, but they knew it was. "SICON is going to retake everything they have lost in the last 24 hours. Everything, including HQ in Hawaii. This has not been announced Rico but trust me, it will happen and the casualties will climb.'

Carl turned to look at him. It was the first time they had actually been alone for a 'heart to heart' since the start of the war.

"I'm not sure if we can get through this. This is the first time SICON has really needed the offensive to work. They aren't going to count the cost until it's over. I believe the cost will be too high and we won't be able to capitalise on our gains".

Rico nodded in silent agreement. The military had nothing to lose by increasing the offensive size. The problems would come when they could not support their troops.

"What can I do Carl? I'm not Razak, never was and most certainly never will be. I can't lead them to victory like he could."

Rico looked stressed for the first time since becoming a Lieutenant. Carl smiled at him for a moment and shrugged.

"You have to have faith Rico. The Roughnecks trust you and believe in you. Don't let that go to waste."

The door slid open with a hiss and the roughnecks looked around. Whatever they had been expecting was certainly not what they saw. They were surprised to see Dizzy standing there in floods of tears. They all simply stared for a moment before Gossard jumped up and wrapped an arm around her and lead her to his bunk. He sat her down and started whispering to her and was quickly joined by Doc.

Max muttered under his breath "Probably been fighting with the LT."

Nobody paid him the slightest attention and he went back to reading his book. Doc and Gossard were listening intently and Goss still had his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Something she was saying was concerning because they gave each other a look over the top of her head. Higgins and T'Phai watched as they attempted to coax the truth out of her. After several minutes her tears subsided.

"Come on Diz, let's go to the Mess Hall. We can get something to eat and talk some more". Gossard was standing and offering her his hand. She smiled up and him and took it and they left together.

"What was that all about?" Higgins watched their retreating backs before the door slid shut. Max snorted and snapped his book shut before jumping down from his bunk.

"She has been either fighting with the LT or its women's problems, neither of which any of us can solve." He lent up against the wall with a satisfied smirk.

"Actually it's neither, and its something you Brutto, will most certainly not be hearing about." Doc glared at the young trooper with uncharacteristic malice

Within a minute the door was sliding open again and Rico entered followed by Carl. They both looked tired but so did any trooper. Rico looked around, confused. "Where's Dizzy? She was supposed to be back ages ago." He looked annoyed too.

"Gossard has just taken her to mess hall, they should be back soon." Doc looked at him and prayed he asked for no explanation but Max offered him one anyway.

"She was sobbing her heart out, should have been here five minutes ago." He gave Rico a superior look before retreating to his bunk. Rico gave a start before glaring at him. Carl did not look surprised however.

"I'll tell you about it later" Doc stepped forward and whispered to Rico and Carl before allowing them to enter the room. Suddenly the door slid open yet again to reveal Zim, who immediately strode forward to Rico.

"I just met with other Lieutenants to receive our new orders. The memo was sent here. Where were you? I had to tell them you were getting patched up" Rico looked at him blankly.

"I haven't been back here since we arrived. I didn't know we were having a meeting." He shrugged indifferently. Zim glared at him again before saying

"Where are Flores and the other one?" They all stared at him. This was unusual. He would usually wait for anyone missing to return.

"Gossard? Mess Hall, they should be back soon" Doc said simply.

As soon as he said it, the door slid open to reveal them. Dizzy looked happier, she was smiling anyway. Gossard must have been telling her a joke but as soon as he noticed both Zim and Rico, he stopped. Zim raised an eyebrow but said nothing, Rico and Carl looked surprised but also said nothing. Zim strode to the middle of the room and turned around to survey them.

"New orders people. SICON is going to retake Oahu. HQ and City Hall need to be retaken before the bugs gain access to the files on the computers. We have two options, retake the locations or destroy the systems before the bugs can access and download the information on them. The techno heads are installing viruses but they may not erase all the information in time. Checks your gear and ammo drop in 10, Lieutenant, a word outside?"

They all stared at his retreating back and that of Rico as well. This information was a lot to digest at once. Once outside Zim turned to Rico.

"I'm going to say this once. Razak trusted you enough to put Flores and Jenkins with you. Don't let him down by being a sub par leader when they need you the most. Give them leadership and they will get the job done."

That said, Zim turned and strode inside, leaving Rico in the hall. Suddenly sirens started going off on the walls. Rico re-entered the room and looked around. Still in his powersuit, he was glad Carl handed him new ammo.

"This is it, lets move out roughnecks"

_We didn't know it, but we were heading for trouble. We wanted to stem the tide of the war so badly that none of us considered the consequences of the POA. We were soon to do what we always promised ourselves we wouldn't, follow orders blindly instead of making our own plans, just like Razak._

_Private R.Higgins: Fednet Reporter_


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Gate to Hell**_

**Summary: The Roughnecks are preparing for the final showdown, but first they must retake HQ and City Hall in Oahu. Will they all make it through in one piece? **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters etc. They all belong to Columbia Tristar and Sony etc. I only borrowed them to write this story.**

_In war, people say there is one enemy, the one trying to kill you. Unfortunately, a soldier can become his own enemy. His abilities and strengths can be overcome by fears and weaknesses that seep into the mind. The Roughnecks had always been strong, a tight group, dependent but independent at the same time. Razak's death and Earths fate were starting to pull us apart. The toughest enemy we faced during this phase, was ourselves._

_Private R.Higgins: Fednet Reporter_

The Roughnecks raced for the transports in the cargo bay. They had limited time in which to launch the offensive according to Carl because the bugs were building up a strong defensive line which included almost one thousand plasma bugs designed almost like anti aircraft fire, even more so than in the past. Any ship that left late would be in serious danger of being shot down. Higgins was last on and Zim hauled him in as the door was shutting before yelling at him.

"Next time I might not pull you in, would you fancy being left here all on your own, waiting for news?"

Higgins looked at him horrified before frantically shaking his head. Zim turned around to glare at the rest of the Roughnecks, who were simply standing there as the engines started.

"Unless any of you want a severe case of whiplash and broken bones, I suggest that you sit down and strap in."

They all moved at once and were barely even seated before the ship went soaring out of the Valley Forge. Max knocked his head on the side of his seat and swore so loudly that Carl threw Rico's clipboard at him. They all laughed and Rico rolled his eyes, at least it had broken the tension. He nodded to himself before holding up his hands.

"Ok, we are being redeployed to the Kaiena Outpost, where we were when this all started. We are approximately 2 clicks north from HQ. It's a quick smash and grab type operation and because the outpost no longer exists, we need to be aware of the little cover that we will have. Carmen is going to drop a few bombs to give us some foxholes but apart from that, we are on our own in terms of defending ourselves. Once we have eliminated as many bugs as possible, we are to move south, towards HQ. Three other squads have the same POA and coming from elsewhere, Delta from the South, Charlie from the East and Tango from the West. Whichever of us gets there first either has to take back the building or destroy the computers before the bugs can access the classified files inside them. We have very little room for error and basically no time to wait for back up from the other squads. They are being dropped in hotter areas than us and are expected to take far longer than we are."

Rico looked around at the Roughnecks. None of them seemed surprised by their instructions though Higgins did look slightly green. To Rico, the thought of being alone with no backup, facing HQ full of bugs was not his idea of the easy mission that it had been painted as. He was very fond of all the Roughnecks and found the projected casualty rate of three per squad was not comforting. He rose as the harnesses lifted and strode up into the cockpit, leaving the Roughnecks to their thoughts.

Low conversation about the mission was beginning around her but Dizzy had no desire to be apart of it. As strong as she painted herself out to be on the outside, she was truly terrified of this mission. As much faith and trust as she had invested in Rico and indeed in all the Roughnecks, this mission seemed impossible to win without Razak. She slumped in her seat slightly, trying hard not to gain the attention of any of the others. Razak, since his funeral, she had not had much of a chance to dwell on him. It was only when they arrived back on the Valley Forge the previous night that she realised how much she truly missed him. She never imagined a scenario where Razak would not be in charge or be there for them when they needed him the most. It had hit her when she had left Rico and Carl and was wondering aimlessly around the ship. She had not wanted to return to the squad room in tears but found she had little choice, it was that or be found by someone else from a different squad, or worse, Rico and Carl. Doc and Gossard had understood but Dizzy had failed to reveal just how much Razak had meant. He was her father in the absence of her own and now both were gone.

Rico was saying something, having just come back down from the cockpit and the others were moving towards the drop pods. She said nothing to Rico as she rose and walked past him and he gave her a concerned look. She chose to ignore it, as she had always done. Now was not the time to be dwelling on the past, nor was it a good idea to be revealing her fears and anxieties to a squad that was probably feeling the same and in the case of some, even worse.

As they prepared to drop, Rico found he was not the only one looking at Dizzy with concern. Carl had been whispering to Gossard and both were glancing at her as they moved away from each other and towards their drop pods but Doc put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze as she passed him. She turned to give him a fleeting smile, one of the few she had given since Razak's death. Rico made a mental note to corner her after the mission and talk to her, he would even use Carl on her if he had to. Now was not the time however and as the door shut, he said what he always dreaded having to say. It was Razak's saying but he said it for his squad.

"Live forever apes"

When the Roughnecks freed themselves from their pods and had a visual of their landing position, they were horrified and devastated. Nothing could have prepared them for what was waiting below. Hawaii had changed and although none would admit it, they had not expected it to have change that much. The once green and lush lands below had turned into a barren wasteland. A place where very little could have survived, unless it was a bug. There was not a tree in sight, nor anything else that was recognisable to the human eye. It held an eerie resemblance to Klendathu, memories that many soldiers had tried so hard to forget. It created fear but also unbridled determination for the Roughnecks. The rest of earth would not share the same fate as Hawaii.

Rico took a deep breath and turned around slowly to look at the others. He took another deep breath before saying

"Secure the foxholes that have been created for us, I would not imagine it will be long before the bugs know we are here."  
The others were nodding and moving off in different directions but Carl stepped toward him and Rico knew it was something serious that Carl wished to discuss. They moved off together for the farthest foxhole and after ensuring they were out of hearing range, Carl spoke but still very softly, Rico almost had to lean in to hear.

"I'm very worried about Dizzy, we should not have brought her today. Something is telling me she is not quite right and something could go wrong. She could get seriously hurt Rico."

They had almost reached the foxhole, so whilst pretending to scan the horizon for bugs, they both turned to look at Dizzy, who was walking with Higgins and T'Phai. She seemed alright on the outside but both knew her to well to be fooled by that and Rico suspected that some of the others had also picked up on it. They both turned around and continued on their way to the foxhole, looking carefully around. Rico nodded but said

"I couldn't do that and you know it. I have no reason to leave her behind and she would be furious. I know something is wrong with her, I can feel it too. I think it has something yo do with Razak."

They reached to foxhole and climbed down into it. Carl looked at him for a moment.

"There is a lot more to it than just that Rico. She is almost on autopilot and if someone doesn't look out for her today, she could get herself killed. She is not really here one hundred per cent."

Rico looked thoughtful and surveyed Carl carefully. He obviously knew what was truly bothering her but did not feel inclined to share it with him.

"What do you want me to do. I can't have her retrieved, its going to be to dangerous."

Carl shrugged.

"Keep a close eye on her, get Goss and Doc to help you. Otherwise your going to have logistical problems of moving a corpse later."

As Carl said this there was a great roar. Plasma fire came raining down from above them and almost struck their foxhole. Rico swore under his breath and lunged for his gun, which he had only just put down.

"Goss, can you give me the bugs approximate location?" He moved forward in the foxhole and looked out across the landscape. The bugs were evidently ranging them because not one warrior or indeed any bug could be seen. Suddenly Gossard's voice came back to him on the radio.

"nine hundred metres to the south of your position, can't see it though. Intel's information on the defensive line is wrong. It's a lot larger than they predicted. Bug numbers are off the charts."

Rico groaned under his breath. Why did he ever think that Intel might be right? A heavy fog had now settled and the Roughnecks could barely see each other, let alone a bug that could be sneaking up on them. Zim's voice suddenly barked into Rico's ear and it was rather loud, just as more plasma fire rained down on them.

"Lieutenant, I believe that we may be unable to hold these positions for any extended period of time. Do you have any instructions?"

Rico sighed, trust Zim to be the bearer of bad news but Rico had also been thinking it.

"Move forward Roughnecks, keep high alert, weapons ready to fire. Lets get some charges under the shell of one and see if we can start a chain reaction, Goss that's your job. Dizzy, stay in your foxhole and give cover fire if its needed."

Dizzy watched foggy shapes move past her and towards where the plasma fire originated. They had been whispering about her, Rico and Carl. She was not stupid not was she hopeless either. She could separate reality when she needed to and emotions had very rarely affected her since she had learnt her lesson on Klendathu after her brother had been designated as killed in action. She watched as an explosion lit up the sky which was just starting to dawn. Suddenly there was movement beside her and she was horrified to realise it was a bug. She could hear gunfire and yelling and Rico's voice suddenly came over her radio.

"It's a trap Dizzy, get out of the foxhole and come towards us. It's a trap. Get out of the foxhole NOW!"

Before she had a chance to move she realised that they had been flanked. The bugs had somehow anticipated their move and countered it, something that was unprecedented. She leapt out of the hole as a bug lunged for her and she bolted towards the others.

The Roughnecks had managed to blow up some of the plasma bugs but had been ambushed. As Rico bellowed into his radio at Dizzy, the others were moving into defensive positions. Zim was suddenly beside Rico, they could almost see the steam coming from his ears.

"Why did you leave her there alone. You shouldn't do that in a designated hotzone."

Rico said nothing as he turned away from Zim and started firing at bugs that were coming for him. Gossard suddenly stopped firing and yelled.

"Dizzy coming up to our right, don't fire unless you are two hundred per cent positive it's a bug and not her."

They all turned back to the fight, nodding in agreement. The warriors were coming in waves, almost like the ocean. This was not the calming ocean surf of Hawaii. This was a killer tidal wave that was threatening to drown them. As the bugs came, the Roughnecks shot them down.

They were getting less and seemed to be falling back. Then it all went horribly wrong.

Dizzy was running towards them as the plasma fire started up again. It came to close and exploded just behind her. She went flying forwards and hit the ground. She did not move.

_Nothing can prepare you for the fears that consume you. Each of us feared something. There was always something lurking at the back of our minds and it had been festering there for years. This mission was to be the hardest and we were cracking. The question was, which one of us would crack first and what would the cost of that be?_

_Private R.Higgins: Fednet Reporter_


	3. Chapter 3

_**The Gate to Hell**_

**Summary: The Roughnecks are preparing for the final showdown, but first they must retake HQ and City Hall in Oahu. Will they all make it through in one piece? **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters etc. They all belong to Columbia Tristar and Sony etc. I only borrowed them to write this story.**

**Note: This chapter takes a look at the mental state of some of the characters and why they make the choices they do and act in a certain way. More action in coming chapters.**

_Things can happen in an instant and have far reaching effects. The Roughnecks had been spared the casualties of other squads and had stuck together through the odds. The battle for Oahu was the most difficult out of all the battles. We were failing ourselves and each other, but we had little choice. The fighting was the fiercest of the war and we would not be spared this time. _

_Private R.Higgins: Fednet Reporter_

The plasma fire continued above them but was landing at a safer distance. Dizzy had still not moved but thankfully, the warriors were more interested in the troopers that were still moving. As the other Roughnecks continued shooting frantically, Rico couldn't think or move. He simply stared at Dizzy and prayed for her to get up and smile the way she used to. Carl had been right about her. She would not have simply got up and run. She would have demanded they come back for her, she wouldn't have stayed there on her own either. Zim suddenly grabbed his shoulder and forced Rico around to face him.

"We need to move her, if she is still alive, she won't be for much longer if we just leave her out there. Any injuries could be made worse, not to mention the fact that the bugs could grab her at any moment. Rico, Rico, are you listening to what I'm saying?"

Rico simply looked at him, he was almost looking through him. Zim stared at him intently but Rico gave no sign of having heard him talking, let alone what he was saying. Zim snarled and angrily shoved Rico away before turning to the others.

"Gossard, Doc, grab her and bring her here as fast as you can. If the injuries are serious, bring her anyway. They probably won't get any worse by moving her. The rest of you provide cover fire until they have her back in this hole. Is that clear?"  
The Roughnecks nodded and all started moving at once. The only one that didn't was Rico who continued to simply stare into space.

As soon as the other Roughnecks were following his orders, Zim turned around to Rico and glared at him. Rico still did not move and Zim grabbed him and pulled him forwards until they were face to face.

"Whatever personal dilemma you are currently undergoing, may I remind you that YOU are the commander of this unit and therefore YOU are in charge of issuing orders and YOU are in charge of ensuring the safety of your soldiers and YOU are in charge of ensuring that this operation succeeds or comes as close to succeeding as possible while limiting the casualties. YOU have failed on all of these so far and now is not the time for you to have a personal breakdown. THEY need you to behave like the officer you now are. So get control of yourself and start acting like it and don't make me treat you like we are back at Basic training because we both know that I have no problem with it."

Rico finally looked at him, he still looked glazed over but at least he was acknowledging Zim speaking.  
"You're already treating me like we are back at Basic."

Zim snorted and moved away to take up his cover position. Doc and Gossard had been gathering some medical supplies but Doc did not look confident. As they grabbed bandages and painkillers, Doc leant over to Gossard and whispered very quietly.

"We have to be prepared. The explosion was very close to her. There is a very real possibility that she is dead and I need you to prepare yourself for it."

Gossard took a sharp breath but said nothing. Higgins was standing nearby and neither of them wanted to cause unnecessary panic. There was also a very real chance that she was still alive and he was not going to write her off as dead just yet.

"Steady, Steady and FIRE"

The Roughnecks opened fire on the warriors, drawing their attention away from Goss and Doc who were scrambling up and out of the foxhole. As they raced across the ground, the Roughnecks fought desperately to keep the bugs attention but it was proving to be difficult. There were more than they had anticipated and they were coming from all directions. Carl and Max moved out of the hole to gain more access and a better angle to aim for the bugs heading for Dizzy and her helpers.

Doc and Goss managed to reach Dizzy without sustaining injuries. She was still lying as she had fallen and was giving no real sign of life. Doc crouched down and looked at Gossard who simply stared at her. Doc grabbed his arm

"Help me roll her over, I can't tell her injuries when she is on her stomach."

Gossard crouched down beside him and muttered under his breath

"You can't tell if she's alive either."

Doc ignored him and together they rolled her over. It was not a pretty sight. Shrapnel, probably from the remains of the outpost the Roughnecks had destroyed, was in her suit. As Doc was preparing to make his assessment, Gossard noticed that, slight as it was, her chest was rising and falling. He grabbed Docs arm.

"She's alive, she's breathing. How could she have survived that?"

Doc looked at him as he plugged his extension in.

"She's lucky, the shrapnel hasn't pierced her organs and no broken bones. The head injury is the major concern as I'm not sure what it is and I would prefer not to move her. It could aggravate it and make it far worse and harder to contain and treat. We should really be calling for a medical evacuation."

Gossard was shaking his head, lucky she might be, but she wasn't going to stay lucky if they left her lying there in the open with warriors less than thirty feet away.

"You heard Zim, we have to move her. We don't want it getting any worse but it will only get worse if we leave her here. I'm not going to do that, I can't do that."

Doc glared at him but agreed.

"Fine but we don't have much time. Don't shake her too much, be gentle."

Gossard bent and picked her up as Doc reached for his gun. She was lighter than he expected, the powersuit should have made her heavier, but food was limited and not nutritious as it should have been. Not one trooper was anywhere near the weight they should be and they were barely hungry as it was, fighting on a full stomach did not make it easy. Together, they set out with her, Doc providing cover fire if they needed it but they found that the others were doing a good job. The Plasma fire had all but stopped and the warriors were now retreating back from wherever they had come from.

As the other Roughnecks fired, Rico found himself firing but also contemplating his latest mistake. Even to himself, he could not explain what possessed him to leave her there alone, nor what possessed him to move the remainder forward. Razak would not have made this mistake, he knew that.

"We have faith in Rico and we'll put our lives on the line to prove it!"

Dizzy had told him that, the last time they were here. That had meant so much to him to hear her say that, even though he had not expressed this to her. She was not right however, as much as he had convinced himself she would be. He had left her there and he had proven himself right.

As he was contemplating all of this, Doc and Gossard arrived back in the trench. The first thing he noted about Dizzy was that she was very pale and he mentally slapped himself. Of course she was pale, she had just been blown up, and anybody would be pale after that. As the others began to crowd around, he stayed back. He didn't know what he would do if she was dead, he didn't know how he would cope. The others would certainly not trust him after that, he wouldn't even trust himself. He privately wondered, as he had been for the last few days, how Razak had managed to make the decisions that were needed and not kill himself for his mistakes. Razak had done this all before and learnt from his mistakes, Rico hoped he would not be making to many more or he would not be alive to learn from them. He suddenly listened as Doc started talking.

"She's alive, not sure how though. My recommendation is to have her airlifted out, even if she wakes up, we don't know how much damage there is or if there are minor internal injuries that could be aggravated. She's lucky."

The other roughnecks were nodding in agreement but they did not seem to agree. Carl spoke up.

"We can't have her airlifted out, the transport won't get in and Fleet won't risk it."

Zim was nodding and the others were starting to look concerned.

"We'll just have to hold her and hope she survives long enough for us to secure the area. If we have to move, one of you can carry her. We won't be leaving her here alone."

He shot a look at Rico who had still not said anything. Zim privately thanked the heavens that she had survived otherwise the Lieutenant would be in permanent zombie mode and that was not what they needed. The boy needed to toughen up, as hard as it was going to be. Mistakes were part of the job as much as success and failure. Razak had learnt that and Zim found himself wishing that it was Razak leading. The roughnecks needed someone to pull them together now and Rico did not appear to be in any fit state to do so. The campaign was not going as well as he or SICON and Intel had hoped it would be.

Nobody was saying anything and Zim was getting annoyed.

"Take up cover positions people and fan out. I want to know where those bug reinforcements are coming from and how many more we can expect. We need to get as much information as we can know that we are currently a trooper down. Rico, you can stay here and give further directions."

As much as it had sounded like an order, Zim really had no time for the protocols of the officer rankings. They needed action now and as much as he didn't want to appear as bossing the LT around, it was better than having them all standing there waiting for instructions or being ambushed again.

The Roughnecks fanned out, leaving Rico alone in the foxhole with the unconscious Dizzy. He moved closer and found himself being consumed by guilt. Sure, she was alive and that made all the difference, but it didn't stop him from feeling guilty. It seemed to be one bad decision after another but this one had almost got HER killed and it was something that Rico was sure he would be unable to live with. He suddenly saw her move her hand. He lunged forward to grab it like a man drowning. He leaned forward and whispered.

"Dizzy, are you awake? I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have left you there. I'm sorry, I'll never leave you alone again, I promise."

Her eyes fluttered and slowly opened. She looked at him, confused for a moment before replying.

"What are you complaining about? Stop being stupid and help me up."

Rico looked unsure and didn't offer her a hand.

"Maybe we should wait for Doc, he was concerned about possible brain injuries."

She groaned and glared at him, she found it easier as he was coming into sharper focus.

"Either help me up or I'll get up by myself and woe betide you if I fall down."

Rico finally offered her a hand and she stood up. She was a little unstable but the colour was quickly returning to her face. She reached up to rub the back of her head and groaned. Rico decided to ask her the question that had been bothering him since she had been hit.

"Why did you leave the foxhole? You could have stayed, I would have sent someone back for you?"

She looked at him for a moment, she seemed to be contemplating an answer or she was trying to stay awake.

"Because you told me to and because we were flanked. They must be getting into the servers. SICON is still using the same one and I'll bet they haven't protected it as they should."

Rico stared at her. Her brain must have been working overtime while out of commission.

"But why did you listen to me?"

She gave him a strange look.

"Because you're the LT. I told you before, you give the orders, we'll follow."

She sat down on the floor of the foxhole and Rico continued to stare at her. She looked up at him and sighed.

"I trust you, I know you don't intentionally put us into situations where we will get hurt. Neither did Razak and we still got hurt. It's part of the job. We didn't sign up to sit around and watch the war."

Not one of the remaining Roughnecks could locate the reinforcements and Zim was getting frustrated. This was getting ridiculous. Gossard did however have an explanation.

"They have all fallen back inside the defensive line. I don't think they are gonna come back out soon, they have fallen back pretty far. Should we follow or go back to the foxhole and wait for backup?"

Zim contemplated this and looked around. Flores was up and talking to Rico who seemed to be less off the planet. He sighed and turned back to them.

"Lets go back to the foxhole and work on a new plan. If we are having this much trouble then the other squads must be too. Lets see if we can get an uplink for some information. I'll also give Flores a chance before we move."

They all began moving back towards the foxhole where Dizzy and Rico were waiting. As they approached, Dizzy turned to Rico.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself Rico. Don't feel guilty about decisions that you have to make because someone has to make them and if you don't, Zim will. We still have faith in you, even if you don't have it in yourself. So make the decisions that you need to make, and we'll follow you, all the way to the end."

_Psychological issues proved to be far worse than any physical ones. The simple reason being that the physical damage from the war would one day heal. The mental problems that many troopers suffered from after the war proved to be harder to destroy. They came from watching their friends and family suffer but also from their own suffering. This suffering came from fighting and dying but also from the conditions that the military kept their troops in. We might have been able to prevent or even halt the growing occupation of earth, had we been fed properly, but SICON was low on troop power and we paid the price for years of failed campaigns. We were just statistics, the projected casualty rate was always to low but it didn't matter to them. Our own issues were beginning to creep up on us as we stood at the deserted and destroyed outpost. Insecurities and fears can bring a unit to its knees. By the end, some of us were surviving on simple grit and hope alone, because there was almost nothing left to fight for but each other. _

_Private R.Higgins: Fednet Reporter_


	4. Chapter 4

_**The Gate to Hell**_

**Summary: The Roughnecks are preparing for the final showdown, but first they must retake HQ and City Hall in Oahu. Will they all make it through in one piece? **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters etc. They all belong to Columbia Tristar and Sony etc. I only borrowed them to write this story.**

_As humans, we often hope for the best and plan for the worst. Somewhere along the way SICON and Intel missed out on this crucial memo. They only wanted to believe that their plans would succeed, that we would always win. Even as Earth continued to fall and casualties continued to climb, they kept on their fruitless quest for victory. Razak had always done things his own way, which was why we always seemed to end up on top. We faltered that day because Rico did not have the faith or courage in himself to take the same step. Something in him changed however, and he started to become the LT that Razak had seen inside him, the LT we all hoped he would be._

_Private R. Higgins: Fednet Reporter_

The Roughnecks stood in their foxhole, effectively abandoned by High Command. The uplink that Zim and Gossard had been trying to get for the last ten minutes kept being rejected. Zim was so angry that he ended up throwing the connection across the foxhole. The other Roughnecks, who had been upbeat about the prospect of further instructions, were starting to see that they were basically on their own until they completed their objective, or died in the attempt. Sprawled out against the walls and all over the floor, to anyone else, it may have appeared as lying down on the job, but the Roughnecks were trying to come up with an effective plan that wouldn't end up with some of them in boxes. Occasionally, one would say something but the others would reject it, all citing different problems usually related to logistics and ammunition.

Rico sat alone, away from the others. He had no suggestions and was only half listening to what the others were saying. He was still contemplating what Dizzy had said to him just before the others arrived. He knew them all well, but the question of following him to the end…would they do it? Rico sighed heavily and his eyes travelled to Dizzy. She had been given the all clear by Doc and was now leaning up against the wall of the foxhole opposite him. She hadn't suggested anything either but Rico had not expected her to. He also suspected that she may not have been one hundred percent physically but Fleet was not commencing medical evacuations until the operation was successful or hopelessly lost.

Dizzy had been debating with herself as she sat with her eyes closed. The other Roughnecks knew better than to question her and she had been left in peace. The bug numbers were wrong, she was not surprised, and they needed a new plan of action. She thought to what they had brought with them, they clearly needed some sort of diversion. Lasers and Rocket launchers, they could leave them behind and draw the bugs away. Risky, to be sure, but it was better than the plans the other Roughnecks had been spitting out which included one where they continued to dig their foxholes until they dug through the earth (this was a strange combination created by Max and Higgins and Dizzy had hoped they were joking).

She opened her eyes to find that Rico had moved beside her. She smiled at him, he looked somewhat unsure and depressed.

"I have an idea, its risky but probably no more risky than sitting here waiting for a plan from those idiots."

She jerked her thumb towards the others, who were now debating the prospect of creating a hot air balloon and simply floating away. Rico nodded and looked at her expectantly. She looked back at him intently for a moment before saying

"I'll tell you my plan but you will be telling the others, and you are not to tell them that its my plan, unless it doesn't work."

Rico simply stared at her and said nothing. Dizzy glared at him before he finally nodded in agreement.

"Get Gossard to rig a time delay on the Rocket Launchers, move everyone to the foxholes closest to the bug line. When they fire, the bugs should investigate this hole, and where they landed, leaving us to sneak past their line and make up a new plan for retaking HQ.

Rico continued to stare at her before looking over at the other Roughnecks. At this stage, he thought to himself, we have got nothing to lose. He took a rather large breath before standing up to address the others.

Everyone looked over the minute he stood up. They had all seemed to be waiting for him to say something, hence the more ridiculous suggestions they had been making. Zim was the only one who watched him with narrowed eyes. He hoped that this plan would work, because he was fast running out of patience. Razak had promised him that Rico would be a good leader, but so far, he had seen very little if any evidence to back up these claims.

"We have a new plan, it's a bit risky, but in reality, everything we do from now on is going to be risky. What we need is a diversion, it's a bit of a pain, but we need a time delay on the rocket launchers and aim them away from the bug line. We are going to move into the foxholes closest to the line. When they fire, the bugs will come to both this hole, and the eventual landing site of the missiles. This leaves us a hopefully, clear path into the bug line, where we can instigate another plan or wait for backup or retrieval."

They all looked at him in silence. Rico began to get very nervous; he thought it was a good plan. They may have taken it better from Dizzy. As he turned around to say something to her, Gossard stood up.

"How long do you want the time delay?"

The others also stood up and began packing up their things. Dizzy stood up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just have a little faith Rico, that's all we wanted so see from you."

They all raced around as Gossard tried to set up the time delay. Dizzy stood by his shoulder.

"Any time now would be great…"

Gossard glared at her before turning back to his job at hand.

"I would have thought a knock to the head would have kept you quiet for a while"

She laughed before Zim tapped her on the shoulder and motioned for her to follow him. Together they climbed out of the foxhole and moved towards the bug line. When the reached one hole, Zim stopped and turned to face her.

"The others may believe that the plan is Rico's, but I know better. Razak did mention to me once, that you were intelligent enough to keep him in line. I didn't always believe that, far too much in your own world it seemed to me. If this plan works, it may just give him the confidence to be the leader that we need. For that, this squad will owe you everything."

Dizzy looked at him. She did not want to be owed anything but the others. She loved them all, to be sure and that for them all to come back alive was all she wanted. She opened her mouth to say this but Zim cut her off.

"I know it may not be what you want, and I know that you have told Rico to hold the plan as his. A wise move on the whole, perhaps, we shall see. Wait here and I will start sending the others up here, one at a time. I must admit that Rico is very lucky to have you as a friend, I hope he manages to keep it that way."

With that, Zim turned and left. Dizzy climbed down into the foxhole to contemplate his words. She knew the other Roughnecks trusted Rico as much as she did. She hoped that Rico wouldn't tell them that the plan was hers and she hoped that Zim was right and that Rico would now behave more like an LT and less like an idiot.

They all moved quietly into the foxhole, one at a time. Higgins fell over and discharged his gun, but nothing came of it. When Zim, who was second last arrived, Higgins got yet another serve about being left behind, which almost reduced him to tears. Gossard came slowly jogging over, last out of the hole. He jumped in and looked around, they all looked back at him expectantly.

"Heads down people, don't let them see you."

They all nodded and crouched on the floor. Thirty seconds later, the missiles fired. Sure enough, bugs came swarming out towards the impact zone and the firing zone. Zim turned to Rico and grimaced.

"I hope this works…"

Rico looked back at him before standing up.

"Move out Roughnecks."

_Rico had suddenly changed. The words that everyone wanted to say had finally been said and he seemed to have a new found confidence in himself and in us. We hoped for our sake, that this would not desert him because we all knew that the worst of the offensive was yet to come. The faith we had invested in him, was finally being returned. It was then, when I could almost feel Razak back among us, he had always been there but now we were back in business, as we used to be with him. We were a squad again, just as we used to be. Our prospects were getting better by the minute, I just hoped that we would not fail in the next phase and all our hard work, come undone._

_Private R. Higgins: Fednet Reporter_


	5. Chapter 5

_**The Gate to Hell**_

**Summary:**** The Roughnecks are preparing for the final showdown, but first they must retake HQ and City Hall in Oahu. Will they all make it through in one piece? **

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own any of the characters etc. They all belong to Columbia Tristar and Sony etc. I only borrowed them to write this story.**

_HQ was overrun and Intel had yet again, underestimated the number of bug and we once again found ourselves hopelessly outnumbered. Almost forty thousand bugs were crawling on Oahu. Fleet had done its best to eradicate as many as possible before the ground assault began but even they were limited in the number they could take out. The bugs seemed to have been expecting a ground assault and fortified their position. It was a truly formidable sight and one that will remain with any solider unfortunate enough to witness it. We still went in and fought, to the soldiers risking their lives against this enemy, it was worth it. _

_Private R. Higgins: Fednet Reporter_

The Roughnecks moved swiftly and silently across the now deserted bug line. Behind enemy lines was a form of combat they were more than familiar with, the risks were far outweighed by the rewards. Although Zim was forced to retreat to the end and physically haul Higgins along as he attempted to video the amazing footage of the bug's stronghold. There was no movement, eerily creepy given the estimated bug numbers for the area (which were wrong). Soon enough, the Roughnecks saw the old HQ building, decrepit and abandoned after the assault no more than two weeks ago. The old foxholes and abandoned equipment remained and the Roughnecks quickly took up residence in one, examining what had been left behind as Zim, Rico and Gossard debated on their next plan.

"They are going to know very shortly that we are not there and are going to come charging back here and we will have no mercy then." Gossard highlighted what both Zim and Rico had been thinking.

"Not that we would have been given any mercy anyway. We need a new plan and one that gets us in and out of that building as quick as we can." Zim eyed Rico but said nothing further.

Rico himself was lost in thought, wondering silently whether they could indeed complete the task they had been set. The computer needed to be disabled as Dizzy had highlighted before and HQ needed to be reclaimed.

"Gossard needs to go in and change the access codes for the computer, before you do that though, get a message through asking for immediate backup. Doc and Higgins can go in with you and ensure there aren't any surprises waiting inside for us. The rest of us can stay out here and wait for the inevitable return of the bug hordes and fight as best we can until we receive backup or perish in the attempt."

Both Zim and Gossard were nodding, it seemed from the outset like a good plan, a stable plan which still left room for adjustment should the eventual situation require it.

"Good idea Lieutenant, shall I inform the men or will you?" Zim looked at Rico expectantly and waited.

Rico sighed heavily and said "No, I will tell them"

The Roughnecks gathered around and listened in silence. They had found pieces of equipment that were still viable and plenty of ammunition that they could use. Rico's plan was perfectly acceptable. They were admittedly used to poor odds and other such problems that came with the war. They were slightly on the up, with plenty of ammunition and more guns that could sustain them for a while at least until the backup arrived (if it ever arrived). When Rico had finally finished and everyone agreed what a great plan it was, Zim stepped forwards.

"This is it Roughnecks. You people have been through a lot over the past few years. Fighting for a cause that always seemed certain to win and then we end up here, so close to losing and failure. The greatest asset you Roughnecks have over every other squad is not superior skills or greater firepower. You all certainly have that but you also have each other. You derive the strength and willpower to continue with mission, no matter how hopeless, from each other. That in itself makes you and amazing group and one that I am proud to have served with. Continue working together and for each other and it is my belief that we shall win."

The Roughnecks all stared at him in complete silence. Not one of them moved. Zim was right, as usual. The hope and strength came from each other and that's what ensured they always did their best and came out on top. Rico smiled at Zim, this was what the squad had needed to hear and not one piece of it was false information. He then stepped forwards and looked around at them.

"Let's do this Roughnecks, for victory or defeat."

_The Roughnecks had always worked together and worked for each other. It was Razak's main motivation and why the squad was always so good together and so efficient at getting the job done. It was why we were such a strong unit, our relationships were not merely professional, for the sake of the job. We were all friends, we had witnessed the worst of each other and we were still all friends. The friendships forged during the war would last for years afterwards provided we survived. _

_Private R. Higgins: Fednet Reporter_


End file.
